"Oh… Remember the house that I asked you about before, the dream house you want to have? Well, I draw it in my spare time before and start building it last year. Technically, it should be my gift after your pledge however it changed, now it is my wedding gift as we start a new journey in our life."
River looks at me. "I don't know who is this man right in front of me anymore," she said.
"Me too, he changed from snobbish to corny man. I feel like I want to smack him out." I replied.
"By the way, you both can stay here as long as you want; it is always me and Lily here." River said. Master and I smiled at her. "Wait, I will clean the room that you both can use." She said. "Before I clean the room, do you two sleep together, or do you sleep separately? I know Master, he wants to be with you but I also want to respect your decision, Rackie."
"It's okay to sleep in one room; so we can take care of the twins. I just want to request that the room should be near where Lily is, so I can check on her every time I wake up to see her condition."
Master smiled at River. "Just let her do what she wants, when it comes to the patient, she'll bother you until you had no choice but to give up so give it up already."
River laughs. "Okay, but promise me. You will only check Lily when you woke up after your twins." I nod in agreement.
It's been a week since we stayed at River's house. Lily is now playing with the twins. Whenever River is out for work, Master stays. River is calling me now and then just to ask what design on the furniture I want for the house, I just told her what the house looks like, then the same with the furniture.
There's nothing usual to the setup we had the past few days, only the frequent calls that Master receives which makes him out of the mood. I told my family about it before they will go home so they will have a clue what is going on, so they told me to stay where I am to lessen the conflict of whatever trouble it would bring.
I am still working on my manuscripts whenever Master is the one who is taking care of the twins. As for the wedding preparation, everything is all set, the date is near, however, I didn't know that those usual past few days isn't the usual days that I knew until I woke up late at night to drink. I didn't see Master in the room so I thought maybe he is still in the living room and doing his work so I didn't close the door when I went outside the room, I went straight to the kitchen to drink water and also to bring water inside the room. I heard Master's voice and follow where it is coming from, there I saw him outside talking to someone on the phone.
"It's been a week now since he is receiving those late-night calls." River whispers which surprise me, thankfully I didn't make any sound.
I looked at her she was looking at him. "' How did you know?" I whispered back.
"My work requires me to sleep late at night; I don't know whom he is talking to. I tried to talk to him the last time after the phone call but he didn't reply instead he just told me not to tell you. Well, I didn't tell you but you found out so might as well, say it now." I just nod. "He is never been this secretive before. I have a feeling that he is having a hard time. He's been my friend since we were kids, Master, Charact, and I. Well, I am not the first one whom he is talking to whenever he needs help but I can tell from those long conversations this late night, it is not Charact whom he is talking to."
"I hope he'll tell us soon, then," I said.
River looks at me with confusion on her face. "Why do you include me?"
"Why not, we are his friends, isn't he?"
She blinks. "Rackie, you are his fiancé, of course, it should be you whom he has to tell first his concern."
I smiled. "I might be his fiancé in the eyes of everyone but I am his friend first and that won't change. Same with his friendship with you, and I am glad that he has a childhood friend like you whom he can talk to in case he can't open up the topic with me." I said. "Besides, I have been seeing a professional to help with my mental health. My eldest sister is a psychologist; she's the one whom I am asking for help with nowadays after giving birth to the twins. If my guess is correct, Master doesn't want me to know whatever he is going through right now since he knew that I am not mentally stable for another issue. I am thankful that he has this patience with me although it is also stressful on his behalf because of the circumstances that we are facing right now." River suddenly hugged me tight as if consoling me that everything will be fine. I smiled and hugged her back. "I have to go back to the room, the twins might notice that both of us are missing, those twins' radar is too strong even though they are sleeping." I joked on. River just smiles and caresses the back of my head before letting me go.
As the days go by, I see Master's attitude changes toward the twins and me. He kept on to his late-night talks over his phone. He even goes out on his day offs and even when River is not around. One night, he came home; River is out of town so I am alone with the kids the whole time. I waited for him because I want to tell him that I want to go home already.
"Terric…" I called him out to get his attention.
"I'm not in the mood to talk right now, please…" he said, then his phone rang. We went out to answer the call.
I sigh and didn't wait for him. I packed my things and the twins. I called River earlier if I can bring Lily with me just in case Master didn't come home, I'm glad that she's okay with it so I prepared the things that I packed earlier. I went out to place the things I prepared and open the car of River that she told me that I could use. Master is busy with his call that he didn't notice, I went back and forth between the things that I need to carry from the house to put inside the car. When I am set to go, Master noticed that I am ready to go so he ran toward me.
He knocked on the window however, I didn't open it. "Where are you going this late?" he asks then looks at the back to see that I am with the children. He kept on knocking but I just look at him, I don't think that he can hear the person on the line which he is still holding. There I saw the name of the caller, which made me look at him with a mix of confusion and surprise on my face. I kept glancing at his phone to check if I got it wrong however, the hope I have fades when I heard on the other line the words that have been said by the person on the other line.
'Babe, just let her go…'
Those words are the only things that have been clear to me because the twins woke up and cried from the sound that Master made from knocking non-stop on the window near me. I close my eyes, I don't want to overthink what is going on between the two of them but I couldn't help it. I thought I could give myself a chance to love and forget about the past but after what I heard just now, I can't think rationally yet I have to calm myself.
He stopped knocking. "Listen to me first, Rackie." He said. I didn't reply I just kept my eyes close, waiting for him to continue whatever excuses he may be going to tell me but when I open my eyes, he was on his knees crying like a child while covering his mouth to suppress the sound he might make.
I open the window and look at him expressionlessly. "You know that even if you cry I will still leave you," I said.
"Rackie, what am I going to do?" he asks between his hiccups.
"What do you mean?" I ask back as a reply.
"Glyph and Marvelous are divorced and Marvelous told me that I and her…" I couldn't fathom the next words he said because he was too overwhelmed by the way cried.
"You and she are what?" I ask to the best of my ability, not to overthink.